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Letters to the Editor

Thanks for publishing the story about Joy Management, slumlords ("This cold house, Metro Times, Nov. 6-12). The real victims of Joy Management are the average tax-paying homeowners who have to put up with these houses in their neighborhood. Many are rented to people with drug problems. A Joy Management house on Glenfield had druggies in it for 18 years. When the house burned a couple months ago, the neighbors cheered.

The city needs to get together with the 36th District Court on this issue. If Joy Management isn't paying taxes, why should they get court services for evicting tenants? Taxes support the court system, if the government had to go to court over technicalities just to get people to pay average taxes, it couldn't survive. The court should not give away its services for free to people who continually refuse to pay their fair share of its support. —Cy Chauvin, cy.chauvin@reedbusiness.com, Detroit

Tyrants

I really appreciated your story on Joy Management. It makes me so angry that low-income families are suffering so some West Bloomfield white guy can make a few bucks. Compliments on your in-depth reporting; this is definitely a story that needed to be brought to light.

I am currently enrolled at St. Bonaventure University in Western New York as a journalism major, so I feel helpless now. I can't wait to get back home and take an active part in cleaning up our beloved Detroit. Is there anything that citizens can do to fight slumlords like Joy? If anything, I know you will be keeping an eye on this story. Thank you for your perseverance in the matter. Change will come as long as there are people like you who refuse to look the other way.

Please let me know what MT readers like myself can do to fight. Together we can show tyrants like Joy Management that things can change. —Shane M. Liebler. lieblesm@sbu.edsu, St. Clair Shores

K: The sequel

Everyone who voted for Proposal K is of course disappointed by the outcome. It was and still is a great idea. All right, here's Proposal K the Sequel: Since all of us who voted yes on K are willing to tax ourselves to support cultural institutions, let's go ahead and do it. If you voted for K, make a donation to your chosen museum, zoo, symphony or other institution that would have received support under the proposal. You know how much you would have paid if the proposal had passed, so make your check out in that amount. It won't hurt a bit more than the quite modest tax you would have paid if K had won, and it will help further the goals of that worthy proposal. —Ed Sackett, sackett@dbo.eng.wayne.edu, Detroit

What’s the point?

The Atlanta serial child killer was black (Free Your Mind, by Keith Owens, Metro Times, Nov. 6-12). A few others too but they never got the media attention for whatever reason. But what's the point? A killer is a killer and a murderer irregardless of race, color or creed. This is not a micro issue, and I hope it does not bring about new stupid laws to feel good and amount to nothing. Which it will … —Rex Rexford, Rexford@chartermi.net, Brighton

End the war

Thanks for covering the Journey for Justice ("Saying NO to the war on drugs," Metro Times, Oct. 16-22, by Sarah Klein). As a retired police officer, I have seen the profound effect the War on Drugs has had on corrupting our law enforcement officers. Not since alcohol prohibition has there been this level of corrupted law enforcement officials. Corruption takes place on all levels of law enforcement — local, state, federal.

The question I ask is: Do you want law enforcement officers to protect and serve, or do you want law enforcement officers who routinely invade, steal and kill? Ending the War on Drugs will help to eliminate drug-related police corruption. Then we can begin to regain our trust and credibility in the communities we serve. Semper Fi. —Dan Solano, Police Officers for Drug Law Reform; Member, Law Enforcement Against Prohibition, www.podlr.org, www.leap.cc, Waterford Township
Send letters (200 words or less, please) to 733 St. Antoine, Detroit 48226; faxes to 313-961-6598 or email to letters@metrotimes.com. We reserve the right to edit for length and